The Fourth
by kandl
Summary: What will happen when someone arrives at the Burrow? Romance,action, not to mention the oh-too-unavoidable battle with voldemort...
1. Default Chapter

"HAAARRRRRRYYYYYYY!" Hermione screeched in the backyard as he shot water at her out of his water gun. It was mid-August, and the famous trio was outside playing around. Ron was fumbling with his gun muttering, "Stupid Muggle contraptions…never understood them….why you would need one of these…." Hermione laughed, tackling him to the ground. Ron blushed, as he had an internal battle with himself.

_You know you like her_, part of his mind said.

_Do not!_, said the other.

He looked up into Hermione's beaming face, as her hair curled perfectly to frame it.

_Ooohhhh she's preettyyy and you know it!_

_IS NOT THAT'S GROSS!_

_You are such a bad liar._

Ron was shaken out of his thoughts by a stream of ice cold water. Hermione jumped off and screamed and ran away to dry off.

Harry noticed Ron staring longingly at her and suppressed a grin. He walked over to Ron and said, "I know something you don't know…" "Huh?" Ron snapped back into reality. "What!" he questioned irritably, he didn't like to be interrupted in his fantasies, and was not in the mood to be interrogated. "Nothing…" said Harry.

"Well now you'll have to tell me!" Ron whined. "Its nothing…" said Harry again, drifting off. Ron stared grumpily after him. "Don't know what he's playing at…" he muttered to himself.

Harry waltzed off to the kitchen deep in thought about Hermione. Yes, he liked her. They flirted often. But he had a feeling that Ron didn't think of her as just a friend. He didn't want to hurt Ron, so he decided not to make a move on Hermione, because Ron liked her far more than he did.

"Harry dear, come sit down for a bit of lunch," greeted Mrs. Weasley. Harry went down to the table and sat next to Hermione.

"Harry you'll never guess who's coming to the Burrow!" Ron said, bursting into the kitchen with an owl in one hand and a crumple piece of parchment in the other. "Who?" Harry asked, hoping it would be Sirius. "My cousin, Brooke!" Ron exclaimed, looking thrilled to pieces. He and Brooke had been close growing up. "Oh," Harry said, slightly disappointed. Mrs. Weasley yanked the parchment out of Ron's hand to read it, then bustled out of the room to prepare a room for her.

Ron sat down and began to wolf down lunch. "Honestly, Ron, must you inhale all your food?" "HonestflyWonmuftooinhawawwthofoo?" Ron mimicked her, mouth full of food. Hermione tried to look disgusted but failed miserably, laughing hysterically.

"Oh I'm so excited Brooke and her family are coming to the Burrow!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, coming back into the kitchen and beginning to cook one of her famous feasts.

"When is she coming?" Hermione asked, eager to have a girl to giggle with. "Tonight," Mrs. Weasley said in a matter of faculty.

"Who's coming?" said Fred, entering the room with George and their friend Lee Jordan. "Bwook" Ron said through food. Hermione shot him a look and then said, "Brooke, your cousin." "She's a looker, Harry, keep your eye out," said Lee shrugged it off why would you need Brooke if you had Hermione?

Hermione secretly was glad that Harry didn't care about this Brooke character. Her hopes of having a girlfriend to pal around with had vanished and immediately she didn't like the sound of Brooke.

A few hours later Harry, Ron, and Hermione were back playing with the water guns. Harry and Hermione soon began a flirting spree. "Harry stop!" Hermione shrieked, running away from him. He ran after her, squirting all the way. "ARGH!" he grunted as he tackled her to the ground. She punched him playfully and began to scramble away. Harry grabbed her and pushed her back down and pinned her there with one arm, squirting with the other.

Ron watched the two flirt unendingly and decided to go inside, feeling an unpleasant squirm inside him.

_You are jealous of Harry. _

_No I'm not he's my best friend._

_Liar._

_I don't like her.   
_

_Yes you do. _

_Do not. _

_Do to.  
_

Ron began to realize he was talking to himself. Not good…. He trampled into the kitchen to find his cousin sitting at the table. "BROOKE!" he screamed just as she yelled "RON!" There were shouts of greeting, laughter, and the loud noise of the two of them brought the rest of the family inside.

Meanwhile, outside, Harry and Hermione were having too much fun to notice the commotion from inside the Burrow. "Harry!" Hermione giggled as Harry plopped on top of her. Her face grew rather red. "Mione, come on! You look a little hot there, lemme cool you down!" He sat upwards, a hand still on her bare arm to hold her down. Hermione felt a cool blast on her face. "Harry!" She repeated. "I surrender!" She squealed playfully. "Fine, I'll put down my gun." Harry did as he said, but didn't get off of Hermione. "Um, Harry…" Hermione started after an awkward silence between the two of them. "Oh, gee, sorry..I didn't realize….." He muttered as his upper cheeks grew hot.

_Damn! _He thought to himself. _Why does she have to be so hot! Just think about Ron, think about Ron, think about Ron, think about-_

His foot suddenly hit a wet spot on the grass as he tried to stand. He fell right on top of Hermione. His head landed next to hers, on top of her hair.

_Damn! _He thought to himself again. _Why does her hair have to smell so good! Just think about Ron, think about Ron, think about-_

All thoughts of Ron were lost as he put one arm on either side of Hermione's head and lifted himself just enough to sink into her dark, brown eyes.

_Damn! _He thought yet again. _I need to get more control over my raging teenage hormones!_

"Har-" Hermione started, but was cut off as she saw his brilliant green eyes, as she felt her hands start to clam up and sweat.

_Damn! _She thought to herself. _Why does he have to be so hot! No! but he's not hot! He's ugly! Hideous! Gorgeous!_

Harry couldn't help himself. He took one of his hands, and brushed back the hair that covered part of her face. Still falling deeper into her eyes, he fingered her hair, each curl so delicate he thought they would break off if he was too rough. His hand moved, slowly from her hair, to her cheekbone, rubbing back and forth, her pale skin like soft silk. "Hermione?" He asked in a soft, encouraging voice. "Harry?" She replied, not being able to help the soft smile spreading across her face. He moved his face in closer to hers. Hermione had been waiting for this moment ever since she had asked him if he had seen Neville's toad that first time on the Hogwarts express. She eagerly leaned forward, feeling his soft lips touch her own. She knew ever since her eyes first set on this boy, that he would be her first. Her first love, her first kiss, her first romance. Her dreams were coming true. Their lips suddenly parted. Harry grinned at her and reached downward to search for her hand. He took it, helped her up, kissed her one more time, and ran inside, lost of all words.

Little did Harry know what would await him inside. Brooke had settled at the kitchen table and was eagerly conversing with Ron, filling him in on her experiences in Bulgaria, where her father had transferred to work.

Harry and Hermione stumbled into the kitchen holding hands. Harry's eyes fell on the pretty girl standing in front of him. She was petite, smaller than even Hermione, with white blond hair that passed her waist and big blue eyes. Her skin was a beautiful ivory color, and she was dressed in pretty blue robes that matched her eyes.

His hand instantly dropped from Hermione's and his jaw dropped with it. "Harry, I didn't know I was so attractive," George said from the table. "Don't be silly you scarlet woman he's looking at me!" Fred squealed in an equally feminine voice. "Who do you like better?" they whined in unison, batting their eyelashes. Harry ignored them and walked up to this gorgeous girl forgetting about Hermione and stuck out his hand.

"I'm Harry," he greeted nervously. _You idiot! _He said to himself. "I know," she said, smiling and showing off dazzling white teeth. "Who are you?" he asked. "Brooke, Brooke Fuery, Ron's cousin," she said, looking at Ron as if to ask if Harry knew she was coming. "Oh – er, right, I er…um…" Harry spluttered. _You are the biggest idiot I've ever seen…of course she's Brooke Ron told you like ten times, _he thought to himself.

Hermione's eyes started to water, and she flounced out of the room. Ron, watching Hermione intently like he always did, immediately picked up on it and followed her discreetly, leaving Harry an open seat near Brooke.

He moved toward it, but Fred took it instead. "Somewhere you'd like to sit Harry?" he asked, knowing full well what Harry wanted.

Harry grew red and snapped back into reality. "Where's Hermione gone to?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from Brooke with much difficulty. "Oh she left…seemed pretty upset…" said Brooke. Harry suddenly jumped and ran out of the room, Brooke on his heels.

Hermione had run to the study and sat down on the couch. She willed herself not to cry, but was unable to stop the tears from flowing. Ron rushed in a mere thirty seconds later and put his arm around her in comfort.

"Shhh…." He said to comfort her. "He's so horrible," she said sobbing into his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back and forth soothingly. "Stupid prat!" she wailed. "Who is?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. "H-h-h-h-harry!" she said. "What did he do?" he asked gently. Hermione proceeded to tell him the story, beginning around where he had left. The more she continued, the more Ron felt like beating Harry into a living pulp. Suddenly Harry and Brooke burst into the room. Hermione looked up and saw the two of them. She burst into a fresh batch of tears and left the room.

Ron gave Harry a very dirty look. "What?" Harry asked. "Do you have any idea what you did?" Ron asked in exasperation. He knew Harry would end up liking Brooke once he saw her.

Harry sank down into the couch and put his head in his hands. "Oh god…" he muttered. "What happened?" asked Brooke tentatively. She sat down next to him and awkwardly patted him on the back. He spilled his guts to her, even the part about thinking she was hot (to which she blushed deeply for she felt the same way about him). "What have I done?" he moaned.


	2. Star Gazing and a Realization

Whoops forgot to put a disclaimer at the beginning of chapter 1…

Disclaimer: I do not own harry potter or any of the characters or plot lines associated with it (etc..)….all of harry potter belongs to the brilliant mind of jk rowling

Chapter 2

It took Ron a while to find Hermione again. She had disappeared and he had followed her a minute too late. _Pity she doesn't play quidditch, she canbe pretty athleticwhen she wants to, _he thought to himself as he panted along.

He checked her and Ginny's room. Nothing. The kitchen. Nothing. The living room. Nothing. Even outside. _Nothing. _She was nowhere to be found. Finally he gave up and went into his room.

To his dismay she had flung herself onto his bed and was crying softly into the pillow. He resisted the urge to sigh in frustration, for it would only upset her more, and quietly walked over and sat down next to her.

She felt his weight sink into the mattress and thought it was Harry. "Go away Harry," she said angrily.

Ron debated whether to leave her alone and go, pretending to be Harry, or to stay and talk to her. He had suddenly felt self conscious about her being in his room, there was parchment strewn on the floor and clothes all over the place. He had no clue as to how the female mind worked, but couldn't find a logical reason for him to pretend to be Harry and leave.

"It's Ron," he said to her. She immediately flopped around and laid on her back looking up at him. She managed a weak smile. "I must look a mess," she stated, ashamed of herself for having Ron see her in this state. "S'ok," he said, brushing the curls off of her tear stained face. "Oh Ron," she said, fresh tears forming, "I'm so stupid to believe it would last for more than a minute." "Its not your fault. In my opinion, he's being a bit of an idiot to do that to you. You're lucky I didn't decide to beat the crap out of him," Ron stated. "Language, Ronald," she said teasingly.

Finally he had broken through the ice. She was somewhat normal now. She was healing. "Don't bloody lecture me," he said with a grin, knowing full well she what she would say. "Ron!" she cried. He laughed. "I was kidding!" he exclaimed.

"What's on your ceiling?" she asked after a moments pause. Ron looked up at the square frame with a view of the sky in it. "Oh, Mum put that in for me to help me in Astronomy," he said. He laid back beside her and looked up with her, discussing various stars that were coming into view as the patch of sky moved slightly.

"I want to see Orion," Hermione said, eagerly looking up at the frame. Suddenly the picture lurched and Orion was winking down at them. "Commanded by your voice," Ron explained as she gasped in shock.

"See that star?" he asked, pointing at a particularly bright one. "Yea," she said softly. "Dad got it named for me at this muggle place. There's one for every one of us Weasley kids," he said. "Wow," she breathed. And with that they both slowly drifted off to sleep.

Harry had sat with his head in his hands for about five minutes before he spoke, Brooke waiting patiently all along.

"I don't think I really like her all too much…well, I like her, but not like _that_," he said thoughtfully, "and I shouldn't have led her on like I did…being stupid…" "It happens," she said, "I know from experience, so I guess we're in the same boat." Harry looked up at her questioningly. "Don't ask," she muttered, blue eyes becoming dark and stormy. "Smarmy git didn't even like me, just liked the way I looked…caught him with a stupid bint a week later," she said, telling Harry the story anyway out of anger. "You just made her feel like a worthless piece of trash, by the way," Brooke said, "you can't just toy with people's emotions like that."

"I know but I really thought I liked her! I mean I've known her for so long and I just thought that eventually we would be together….and I didn't really listen to myself when nothing happened when we kissed," he said, hanging his head. "What do you mean 'nothing happened when you kissed?'" Brooke asked curiously. "No fireworks. No whooshing sensation. No jelly knees," Harry explained.

Brooke gave a weak smile. "Oh," she murmured softly. "I just sounded incredibly female," Harry said thoughtfully, disgusted with himself. "Nowhere near as female as you look," Brooke said, giggling. "Hey!" said Harry indignantly, "do I really look female?" "Nah, no way," Brooke replied. Suddenly she realized what she said and went a deep shade of red. Harry cleared his throat and looked down at his twiddling fingers.

"Well, better be off to bed," Brooke said hurriedly. She jumped up and ran to her room. Harry laughed and went into his.

"What the….?" Harry mused as he walked into Ron's room and saw him and Hermione asleep together. He resisted the urge to laugh and wake them up and went to sleep, slightly confused that he wasn't jealous.

He really thought that Hermione would be his first love, and that they were meant for each other. He never assumed it could be Ron she would end up with. But now that he thought about it…they _did _always bicker like an old married couple. Guessing what the future held in store for the two, Harry fell asleep.

(A/N please read and review… very open to constructive critizism so if I'm being too dramatic or mushy or anything like that please tell …)


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